Manitoba cattle producers (water protection act)

[FRENCHMAN]

There are currently Water protect Act consulation meetings going on within the province .I urge you to contact your local Manitoba Agriculture Food Rural Iniative office to find out where they are beginning held and attend.

This may be livestock producers last opportunity to voice our concerns before a law is drafted.

[Cedar]

So what's the big deal with this water protection stuff? How will it affect us cattle producers?

[Cedar]

I wonder if it is similar to the Water Act in Alberta ?

[DaneG]

It will effect livestock producers by dictating how much manure can be applied on certain types of soil if any on some types and when!

[mb_rancher]

NDP better hurry up and get this through before Mr Doer gets his butt kicked out...:}

[mb_rancher]

DaneG does this proposed legislation deal with phosphorus or just nitrogen overload in soils ?

The legislation in Alberta is the Agricultural operations Practices Act, and it requires operations producing more than 500 tonnes of manure annully to file a manure management plan, which includes soil tests etc., but the legislation only deals with nitrogen.Under the Alberta legislation manure must be incorporated within 48 hours of applying if it is landspread.
Cow/Calf operations are not considered confined feeding operations under the act but must control run off from seasonal feeding and bedding sites.

The water act in Alberta controls water use. Most farmers have registered their wells and those in the confined feeding business likely have licenced their wells.

[DaneG]

it deals with both

[DaneG]

Ontario has similar legislation as do other provinces. In Alberta municipalities used to have authority for siting feeding operations but the passing of AOPA turned that authority over to the Natural Resources Conservation Board in January of 2002.
Obtaining a water lic. and approval to site an operation go in tandem in AB in most cases.
AOPA certainly is not perfect legislation but at least the rules are the same for everyone vs 60 different sets of rules when municipalities were the approving authority.

Department of Fisheries and Oceans; Alberta Environment; applicable Health Regions are all involved if there is run off into a water body. Usually the NRCB takes responsibility for issuing an enforcement order etc., they are likely the easiest on the operator vs DFO!!!